R A V E N C L A W
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The Great Hall was crowded with excited students that morning, all sporting red or blue clothing, the division quite obvious. Slytherins understandably turned to Ravenclaw's side, but the Hufflepuff students' loyalties were divided.
If she was honest to herself, Freya would admit that she was quite proud of James. All morning he had wanted to boast the chances of Gryffindor winning to Lily, but with a refrained disposition, he stopped the bragging from slipping through his lips. It was quite amusing to watch him swallow down the words everytime he neared Lily, wanting nothing more than to impress her. The blonde soon realized that he truly was trying.
As soon as Lily left the table to help Mary with their traditional banner, the words erupted from his mouth as if they were held in a shaken soda can that so desperately needed to overflow.
"There's no way Ravenclaw is going to win today. We've been over it a thousand and one times. Perfect plan. Plus, the seeker is quick but a bit thick, it'll take him forever to actually find the bloody snitch. Marlene will definitely, no doubt, find it before him," he talked on and on, the only one actually listening with interest, and slight jealousy, was Sirius.
James seemed to notice this, "Stop looking at me like that. The only reason you aren't on the team this year is because your 'unsportsmanlike conduct' according to McGonagall. There's definitely, I assure you, next year."
The last statement seemed to wipe the annoyance off Sirius's face in an instant and replace it with one of joy as he listened to his best friend continue to reveal the lengthy strategy to beat Ravenclaw.
"Potter," Lily called from across the hall, hands on her hips, "Don't you think you should be with the rest of your team?"
Her words seemed to dawn on James, coming to the realization that he was the only member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team left in the Great Hall. With a groan he grabbed one last breakfast roll and hopped off the seat, ready to dash through the hall, but suddenly coming to a halt. He turned back to them with a large grin, "Next time you see me, I'll be holding the cup."
With a thumbs up and a couple of cheers, he ran out of the room, bumping into at least seven students on the way.
"Guess we could go ahead and walk there as well," Remus spoke after a few moments passed from where he had silently been listening from Freya's right. The group nodded in agreement, not having much else to do since the match started in only half an hour.
So they went, Sirius and Remus taking the lead with Peter trailing close behind, attempting to shove himself inside the conversation. Freya trailed a few steps behind with Mary, levitating the giant banner that Lily was having a hard time carrying.
The stands were not full yet. Specks of blue and red fan shirts lined the stadiums. From afar, it looked like paint splotches on an artist's palette.
"Third row?" questioned Mary, squinting her eyes through the harsh sun and examining the open areas. Sirius, of course, had an alternative place to sit. After awhile everyone begrudgingly gave into his complaints and antics, agreeing to follow him to his chosen set of seats with rolled eyes and scoffs.
All negative attitudes were soon faded as the stands filled and the players dashed into the field with brooms in hand. Cheers erupted louder than anyone else from the group of friends as Marlene and James walked into view.
The whistle was blown and in a flash, the players of both teams in divided colors rose to the air, immediately and rather aggressively beginning the match.
Within minutes the Quaffle was being passed between two different Ravenclaws as they made their way to the Quidditch goal, nearly scoring a point but thankfully missing by a few centimeters.
With all the fun and anxious feelings mingling together around both the field and stands, the minutes multiplied quickly as did the score. The confidence of the Gryffindors seemed to seep away almost instantly as the team in blur stole their thunder with every goal.
After an hour, Ravenclaw was leading by thirty points.
James flew over to Marlene, who had been distracted by a group of rude students that opposed her team and were sending rather snarky comments her direction. He began to speak to her, dodging a Bludger at the same moment when her eyes suddenly snapped away from him, catching sight of a flash of gold that had to be the fluttering snitch. With a quick start she chased after it, finger tips reaching towards it when the same Bludger that James had dodged swept close by, sending her falling from her broom.
It wasn't like the falls in movies when everything seems to suddenly stop and everyone has time to let a shocked expression slide across their face. The small girl fell so quickly, though that was mostly due to the fact that she was not far from the green grass, that many were still cheering her on without realizing what had happened in the blink of an eye.
Sirius jumped up quicker than anyone else, immediately running towards the field and in the direction of the girl no-one had known he cared so much about.
When they reached the field, he was already kneeling over her. "Get off, Sirius," she groaned, pushing him aside and standing up herself. "I only fell, what? Three meters? I'm fine."
"Are you sure because —"
Marlene's determined gaze melted at the sight of his concerned face, "I'm fine Sirius, honestly. In fact, I'm ready to win this bloody game. I just need to find my broom . . ."
She turned, eyes scrutinizing the area in search of the broom, body craving to get back in the game. Freya joined in, walking a few paces forward but stopping altogether upon glancing James's way.
He looked completely heartbroken, staring the opposite way of the group and to the shocked Ravenclaw seeker that gripped the snitch in his hand with wide eyes and open mouth. The blue wearing boy was standing silently, looking in awe of the catch, telling no one what he had achieved.
They weren't the only ones that seemed to notice at that moment, a whistle was blown and cheers erupted as the rest of the Ravenclaws landed on the ground with their brooms in hand to congratulate the seeker of the opposite team.
The scowl seemed to be permanently planted on the bespectacled chaser's face.
"He caught it as you were falling," James sniffed with his nose up in the air, pride wavering off him, "It shouldn't have counted."
Lily seemed angered by his words, "Why can't you let someone be happy for their accomplishment, huh?"
"Oh," he spoke dramatically, walking towards her, "And I suppose you go for Ravenclaw now, just to spite me? Right, Evans? Why do you dislike me so much?"
"Maybe it's because you're a self centered toe rag that prances around as if you believe the bloody flowers grow for you."
With these words Lily turned around in one quick moment. Pale fists clenched to her side as a flash of red clashed with the blue of the sky from her fiery hair blowing behind her with the wind. She pushed through the numerous students that had flooded the field, congratulating a few with a fake, but sportsmanlike, smile.
Freya winced. She loved Lily, truly. Besides Remus, the girl was her best friend. Sometimes Freya couldn't help but feel maybe Lily was a little too hard on James.
James turned to Freya and Remus, eyes flickering sadly to their attached hands with an almost envious glance. He turned to Sirius to mutter something, but was only met with the back of his best mate's shirt as he dashed across the field with Marlene and Madam Pomfrey.
With a rather sour scowl, a shrug lifted his shoulders and he turned to his last choice, Peter.
"She's only upset because we lost."
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a/n: dedicated to leo bc his oscar <3
thanks for 15k <3
qotd: does your favorite character always die?
aotd: yes